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Sergio Perez says joining Cadillac was driven by a desire to prove to himself he is still âone of the bestâ in Formula 1 after a confidence-sapping end to his Red Bull spell. Perez said: "It can be my project as well. I can be part of it and I can show myself that I'm one of the best and I want to do that because I always believe that I'm one of the best on the grid. But obviously, the period at Red Bull takes that confidence from you when you are not delivering and your team-mate is winning and so on. And I always knew what the issues were, but it takes confidence away from you. That's why I wanted to come back."
Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad says he would like to potentially pursue rallying after Formula 1, after driving an M-Sport-Ford Puma Rally1 car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Lindblad said: "It [rallying] is something that I have been learning more about and I have actually become more fond of rally recently, and it is something I would like to potentially pursue one day once I'm done with my current endeavours. After having my first little taste of it now, I have a bit more of an appreciation for what these guys do because the cameras and the onboards don't really show it."
Williams team principal James Vowles says the upgrades introduced at the British Grand Prix âhelpedâ only in part and fell well short of what the team expected at Silverstone. Vowles said: "In Silverstone, we worked diligently, day and night to bring performance to the car. I think in part it helped, but nowhere near to the level we needed or perhaps even should have done."
The FIA has confirmed to RacingNews365 that Formula 1âs expanded power unit component allocation, introduced for 2026, will remain in place for both 2027 and 2028 rather than reverting to the standard limits. That means drivers will continue to have an extra example of each major component available penalty-free, including the ICE, turbocharger, MGU-K and energy store, plus an additional set of auxiliary components.
Lando Norris has said McLaren âshould just be doing a better jobâ in some areas after an untelevised radio message at Silverstone in which he told the team: âLetâs get it right for once, please.â Asked about the remark, Norris would not go into detail but said it was about âstuff that just limits our performance and limits our potential to get podiums and pointsâ. Norris also described McLarenâs current car as ânot a nice car to driveâ and âone of the hardest cars I have ever driven in Formula 1,â adding that he felt the team had not brought upgrades that have delivered as much performance compared to rivals.
Lando Norris says racing the Le Mans 24 Hours with McLaren is part of his long-term plan, but he is unsure when he could do it. Norris said: "That's the plan. One day. I don't know how far away it is. I don't know if it's going to be in two years, three years, four years or 10 years. But, like I said, I'm a fan of racing, so I want to try a bit of everything. With Valentino [Rossi], I said I want to try a bike. Andrea [Stella] is here, so he's shaking his head."
Charles Leclerc says he has told himself ânot to get carried awayâ after his British Grand Prix win at Silverstone, adding he cannot assume his recent struggles with the Ferrari are now over. Leclerc said: "However, as I said, it's still the beginning. It's only one race, and I must not get carried away thinking that the war is over. I mean, the battle with this car has been quite a lot recently, and I cannot take it for granted that now it's behind me. So, I'll keep working and try to get that feeling more often going forward."
McLaren has confirmed it will stage an end-of-season live show in London in December, following the âVictory Lapâ event earlier this year. âMcLaren Racing Liveâ will take place at The O2 on Monday 14 December, eight days after the Abu Dhabi finale, with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella set to appear. Priority tickets go on sale at 10am UK time on Thursday, with general sale at 10am on Friday. Brown said the night will be âan exclusive team debrief as we reflect on the 2026 season, share behind-the-scenes stories and insights, and look ahead to 2027â.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team is likely to struggle at the Belgian Grand Prix because Spa-Francorchamps should be another âenergy-starvingâ circuit like Silverstone. Laurent Mekies said: "So, on tracks where energy limitations are strong, we seem to be struggling more compared to the competition, and in that respect, I'm afraid Spa-Francorchamps is probably in that category as well."
RacingNews365 reports drivers could get their first competitive wet running in the 2026 cars at this weekendâs Belgian Grand Prix, with current forecasts predicting rain across all three days at Spa. Some drivers have driven in the wet during pre-season shakedowns or Pirelli tyre tests, but there has yet to be a fully wet session during a grand prix weekend this season, with only light sprinkles at the start of the Canadian GP.
Audi Formula 1 chief Mattia Binotto says the seriesâ next engine rules must remain âhighly efficientâ, as F1 and the FIA discuss a move to cheaper and simpler V8 engines with a smaller electric component, running on advanced sustainable fuels. Binotto said: "Audi has always supported the importance of efficiency. The technology that allows for highly efficient engines is the same one that is then applied to road cars. When we talk about efficiency, we're talking about fuel consumption, emissions, and technology transfer between motorsport and series production."
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says he cannot offer Max Verstappen a seat at the team, amid reports linking the four-time world champion with a possible move. Brown said: "I haven't really thought about that because I've got two drivers in the seats. So, what I couldn't offer him was a seat in my race car. But I think McLaren's an awesome team. So is Red Bull, and so is Alpine, and so is Ferrari. The Formula 1 teams are amazing. I think we've got a unique environment, but as do all race teams."
Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1âs 2026 power-unit energy management is confusing for fans and drivers, and that the removal of the MGU-H can mean taking high-speed corners flat out is âpenalisedâ later in the lap. Hamilton said: "It's really hard for fans to fully understand, and it's hard for us to understand as well, because the ultimate goal when you're driving a Formula 1 car is to push it to the limit.... we have less charge this year because they took away the MGU-H that we had last year, which is a bit confusing. So basically, if you take a high-speed section flat out, if you're more committed, take more risk and go faster through a corner, you get penalised afterwards because you don't charge enough."
Toto Wolff says Ferrari will be Mercedesâ biggest threat for the rest of the season after Ferrari won in Silverstone and Barcelona. Wolff said: "We need to look at ourselves. They said before the weekend that they were going to be lacking energy at this track. They haven't. They were a strong competitor, and this is to be expected now for the rest of the season."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says there is no single âgame-changerâ behind Lewis Hamiltonâs resurgence at the team, after the seven-time world champion secured five grand prix podiums this season including a win in Barcelona. Vasseur said: "I think it's coming from both sides. That we know Lewis more, he knows more the team. Small stone after small stone, it's not that there is a game-changer, it's not a one single stone, it's much more aligned today. The car is probably also better than last year, for sure, and step-by-step we are improving."
Fernando Alonso says Formula 1 cars at the Belgian Grand Prix could end up with less power than Formula 2 in parts of the lap if drivers run out of battery deployment on Spaâs long straights. Alonso said: "If you deploy on those two straights, which is the optimal deployment, then there is a one-minute Sector 2 with no deployment at all. And with no deployment at all, we cannot forget that this year we have significantly less power than last year, and less power than F2. That's the case when you cut the deployment."
Lewis Hamilton says he has to do a "better job" than he did at Silverstone as he looks to be competitive in this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Hamilton said: "Up until now, we really have been making such great progress. What gives me confidence is coming into Silverstone, the simulator said that we should start in a much different place with the set-up, and my engineers and I decided to stay within the direction that we would normally go... Spa is going to be long straights, but ultimately, I've got to do a better job than I did at Silverstone."
Williams team principal James Vowles says he wants Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to remain the teamâs driver line-up, with Sainz out of contract at the end of this season. Vowles said: "Carlos and Alex are the two drivers I want in this car. Full stop. No other debate about it."
Sergio Perez says former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told him when he joined the team in 2021 that they only ran a second car âbecause we have toâ, with the set-up focused on Max Verstappen. Perez said: "The first time I met Christian, he told me, 'We go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we would be super happy just to race with one car.' 'Everything is for Max, around Max. We want to win the championship.'"
Fernando Alonso says his "most important" expectation of Aston Martinâs forthcoming upgrade package is that it helps the team identify and address the carâs weaknesses when it is introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso said: "For me, it is important to feel in Hungary that we are understanding what the weaknesses of the car are, and that we are tackling them, especially on the aero package. And if those are improved in Hungary, and we can drive the car to the maximum, then I think there is a very clear path and a good momentum that we can take for next year. For me, that is the most important thing."
Sergio Perez says being Max Verstappenâs team-mate at Red Bull was the âtoughest challengeâ in Formula 1, describing a set-up in which Verstappen had the teamâs people and engineering resources around him. Perez said: "To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest challenge. I mean, even to face Max at any other team would be very tough. But to face him at Red Bull, with his team, his people, his surroundings, it's tough, and you need the best of the best in every area, and you just don't have that, you know. While he has all the opportunities in terms of engineering, senior engineers, experienced engineers, everything goes to Max."
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